Proverbs 10:4 - Meaning and Application

We are told here, first, who, though they are rich now, are on the road to becoming poor. They are the ones who work with a slack hand, meaning they are careless, slow, and half-hearted in their business. They do not put real effort into their work, and they do not stay with it.

The phrase can also be read as dealing with a deceitful hand. Those who try to get ahead by fraud and trickery will end up impoverished. They will lose not only because God will bring a curse on what they have, but also because they will lose respect among people. No one will want to do business with those who use dishonest methods and are honest only when it suits them.

Second, we are shown who, though poor now, are on the road to becoming rich. These are the diligent and honest people, who take care with their affairs and do whatever their hands find to do with all their strength. If they work in a fair and honorable way, they are likely to increase what they have.

Some understand this as the hand of the sharp, but not the swindler, or the hand of the active person. The stirring hand gets the penny. This is true in spiritual things as well as in worldly life. Laziness and hypocrisy lead to spiritual poverty, but those who are fervent in spirit and serve the Lord are likely to be rich in faith and rich in good works.